A federal judge has ruled a wrongful death lawsuit against the NFL and South Carolina State University will move back to state court. The NFL pushed to have the case heard before a higher court and was denied.
Alonzo Adams' motion to remand the case to Orangeburg County was granted in a ruling signed on Monday, according to court records. The father of former NFL Player Phillip Adams says the league and SC State, where Adams went to college, are negligent in educating his son about head trauma and failed to provide adequate protection for players.
Adams killed six people in Rock Hill, South Carolina, before taking his own life in 2021. The victims included prominent local physician Dr. Robert Lesslie, his wife, two grandchildren, and two HVAC workers.
The lawsuit claims the negligence led to chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), which was diagnosed posthumously. Shortly after the 2021 killings, Alonzo Adams told WCNC Charlotte he believed football had contributed to his son's violent behavior, saying, "I think the football messed him up."
South Carolina State University defended themselves in a previous statement saying, "The safety and well-being of our students remain our top priority," The school previously argued that Adams knew the risks of playing football and its long-term health consequences.
Adams played at South Carolina State from 2006 to 2009 before spending six seasons in the NFL with the San Francisco 49ers, New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks, Oakland Raiders, New York Jets, and Atlanta Falcons.
The case will now proceed in state court, where it was initially filed in 2023. The NFL's and SC State's motions to dismiss the case were deemed unfounded by the judge's ruling.
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This story was originally published April 2, 2025 at 7:33 AM.